UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s office called for calm on Tuesday after police said they arrested a Sudanese suspect over a stabbing in residential Belfast in Northern Ireland that drew national attention because of graphic videos of the attack online.
Police said the victim was taken to the hospital with serious wounds to his face, neck and back late on Monday. They said the suspect, who is in his 30s, was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and remained in police custody. A kitchen knife was found at the scene.
Police were trying to determine the motive, but there was no information to suggest the attack was terrorism-related, said Ryan Henderson, assistant chief constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland. He added that police were not seeking anyone else connected to the attack.
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“This brutal attack will have sent shock waves through the community, causing real concern,” he said.
Gavin Robinson, the leader of the Democratic Unionist party, told parliament that the perpetrator was living in the UK under a five-year visa and urged authorities to curb “uncontrolled immigration”.
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Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn said he could not confirm whether the alleged attacker came to the UK illegally.